Where are all the supermotos going?

So I discovered lately that Husqvarna has discontinued their SM630(and te630 for that matter) and also did not see Yamaha's wr250X in the line up for next year!! I find the supermoto's to be the most fun scoot around town and up in the twisties, not to mention a good watch whenever you can see them.

Is the niche falling away already?

No more factory SM's, we have to SM our own dirt bikes from here on out?

Anyone else see a decline in market?

I noticed the DRZ400 SM is no longer in production as well. I DEMAND TO KNOW THE REASON OF THIS BLASPHEMY!

Supermoto flashed and died. There will also be a nich market for the enthusiasts.

Nobody (ok... very few...) bought them so it doesn't make sense to the manufacturers to produce them. There's always going to be a few people converting dirt bikes though.

people discovered how well dunlop 606's stick to pavement and realized there is no need for SMs.

just kidding.

SMs are very cool. i hope they don't die off.

I could care less if they stop producing factory SM's. Easy enough to make my own.

I've only seen 2 Supermotos on the street around here (city of 1.5 million with lots of bikes), so it doesn't surprise me much. I've always loved the idea, look, and feel behind the bikes, but I never considered buying one; just not practical.

:huh

they are probably the most practical city motorcycles made.

+1

+2 Cutting through parking lots, potholes, no worries while parked. All around great getaround scooters and fun.

With the slight exception that a city motorcycle needs a top box or under seat storage to carry a big F.O. lock to stop the toe rags half inching your beloved steed. I have a EXC 525 and I think it is one of the best city motorcycles about, handles the shite roads, you can jump speedbumps, mine has a tiny top box for chain. Lots of factory SM bikes are not what I would call a true SM though. To me a true SM is a converted off road race bike, DRZ doesn't really fall into that category, nor do the larger factory SMs like the 690s.
Problem with mine is that it doesn't like spending time stopped at lights. Have to kill the engine if stopped at lights in summer.

My 990 Supermoto R is not really a supermoto IMO. Still super fun though. It seems like the KTM Supermoto 990 T and R models are not selling all that well despite good reviews and a lot of great reviews for the T version.

With no luggage or passenger capabilities, and not great freeway capabilities, to me, they're not 'practical'. 'Practical' like, if I could only have one bike it would need to be 'practical'. Fun? Hell yes! If I could have numerous bikes, there'd be one in my garage in no time. But for my needs in a motorcycle(s), they're not practical. Your results will vary.

Yes. If you want a true supermoto, get a non-street legal 450 dirt bike, drop thousands into the engine and suspension and go race or track day to your hearts content.

The bikes I was referring to were the street legal, factory fitted, asphalt hoot'in, lane splitting, grin installing SuperMotos.

I thinks it pretty obvious that these street legal SM's are not made for racing (Aprilia SXV), nor for a one bike do everything garage and trust me I have tried...between buying street wheels and tires for my XR400R, then selling it. Then getting TE wheels for my SM610.... I finally gave up and bought the right bike for the chore. Dirt bike, around town bike, and traveler (I am working on vintage now)

To me, running errands around town there is nothing more fun then a SM, my only point is there going away.....

Well sure just ignore the best of the bunch the 690 SMC to make your point. The fact is, the DRZ, and WR make crappy SM's mainly because they have such shitty power to weight ratio's. As for Husky, if they truly have discontinued the 630 SM, it's probably because something else close to it is in the works and we'll see it when they finalize their street bike lineup.

Something like this maybe:

That was more or less my point. The average motorcyclist isn't going to have two or three bikes. The average motorcyclist has one bike, and because of that, these bikes just aren't practical to the average motorcyclist.

That Husky looks great!

Crappy SM's eh? Mine makes me smile everytime I ride it and I'm sure other WR and DRZ SM riders would agree. They aren't full blown race bikes, but that's part of the attraction for me. Id rather be riding than wrenching.

I bought one of the original SM's about 12 years ago. I was transfered to DC for a couple years as a temporary assignment. My company got me an apartment just off Pennslyvania Ave half way between the White House and the Capitol. I bought the bike to keep with me in town as transportation. It was fantastic! Handy like a scooter but fast so I could explore the southeast. And I did! That little supermoto made my life down there.

Basically the bike was an MZ Baghira enduro that the factory converted to a SM by shortening the suspension and changing the gearing. A 660 Yamaha motor in a MZ chromoly tube chassis with real nice italian parts like Marzocchi forks, Gramica brakes and even a WP shock. It was called a Street Moto. The result was a very fine street bike.

It made about 50 HP and had a top speed a little over 100mph. The weight was about 350lbs fully wet. I put 12k miles on that bike over about 3 years and then mothballed it. I only just sold it last March for the measley price of $2k.

I had to make room for another bike, but I was happy because the new buyer knew what a great bike it was.

What I loved about that bike was it's smooth and powerful motor, its supple suspension and how incredibly flickable she handled. What I didn't like was the 3 gallon fuel tank. I had to refuel about every 110 miles, which makes travelling a bit of chore.

It was clearly the very best urban motorcycle I've ever ridden. It made a great sound too. I should have kept it.

I love supermoto's, but for me the most practical bikes are dual sports, so that's what I ride. I put about 60k miles on my KTM 950 the past 6 seasons, and I recently acquired a Yam WR250R that I keep out west to explore with. I am about to sell the KTM and buy a new 2012 KTM 690R for my main ride. I set my dual sports up for travel and go long distances with them. The Yam was so good at it this last summer, I decided the twin was just too much metal. I am hoping the 690 will have a really fun motor like my MZ Baggy, with about the same weight as my Yam, yet have the 80mph cruising ability of my KTM twin.



I've had this sweet thing for 14 years. But it hasn't been ridden in 8. Talk about impractical!

LOL, the Husky 630 and KTM 690 are not race bikes dude, you might want to do a little research. I HAD a SM'd DRZ 400E and while it was an OK bike, it can't come close to the fun that the 690 is. Almost the same weight and almost twice the power. The WR has even less power then the DRZ AND the same weight. I reckon the buying public kinda agree with my opinion seeings how nobody was buying them and they discontinued them.

LOL, how much power do I need on the street to still have fun? So, I can get up to 60mph a second or two quicker on the bigger bikes, big deal. Not everybody craves lots of horsepower, otherwise we'd all be on 1000cc sport bikes. If you like the bigger SM bikes, that's fine, but don't bag on the smaller bikes.

And I can pretty much bet that more WR250X's and DRZ400's sold than the Husky and KTM's equivalents.... but companies like Yamaha and Suzuki sell way more sport bikes and cruisers, so that's what they focus on.... Husky and KTM have a different philosophy and fill these smaller niches.

Oh, and the dual sport equivalents of the WR250X and DRZ400SM sell very well.... its just the supermoto version that didn't.... more evidence that it's really the supermoto niche that's not really taking off here in the US like it has overseas, and not the bikes themselves. The WR250R and DRZ400S dual sport bikes have a cult following for dual sport and adventure riders, to the bikes themselves are very popular.